Celtic knocked out of Champions League

Barcelona 1 Celtic 0 (4-2 on aggregate)

Celtic are out of the Champions League for another season after a narrow but comprehensive defeat by Barcelona in the second leg of their last-16 clash in the Nou Camp.

The Catalan club had led 3-2 from the first match in Glasgow and Xavi’s goal from a Sylvinho cross after three minutes effectively ended any hopes of a Celtic comeback.

Gordon Strachan’s side did well to contain Barca’s superstars for the rest of the game but the home side cruised into the quarter-finals on a 4-2 aggregate with plenty to spare.

The gulf in class between the two sides was evident in both legs of the tie but the Hoops can feel no embarrassment at losing out to a side packed with a wonderful array of talent, even if it was not exactly in full throttle in this match.

Celtic, who had been knocked out at the last-16 stage by AC Milan last season, knew they had to win their first away game in the competition if they were to go through to the quarter-finals.

Barca had changed half their side from the Parkhead game but the firepower of Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o promised another tough test for the Scots side and that was the story of the first half which started in disaster for Gordon Strachan’s men.

A far from full Nou Camp witnessed the rampant home side take the lead in the third minute after playmaker Xavi fed Ronaldinho on the left-hand side of the Celtic penalty area.

The Brazilian flicked the ball on to the overlapping Sylvinho and when he cut the ball back, he found that Xavi had continued his run to flick the ball past Hoops keeper Artur Boruc.

The tie was effectively over with that strike.

As Barca swarmed forward relentlessly, Ronaldinho drove a shot in from 16 yards which Boruc spilled for a fruitless corner before Samuel Eto’o chested a Sylvinho cross wide of the near post from close range.

The home side were slicker in all departments and made the Scottish champions chase around so much that half a dozen players took advantage of Messi receiving treatment after a foul by Lee Naylor to take in water while receiving instructions from Strachan.

On the half hour mark the unlikely figure of Carles Puyol stole in to the Celtic penalty area to latch on to Ronaldinho’s reverse pass but Boruc was able to push the Barcelona skipper’s attempted lob over the bar.

Messi was taken off weeping in frustration with what looked like a hamstring injury after 35 minutes but in substitute Thierry Henry, the home side had a more than capable replacement as the Catalan side cruised all the way to the half-time whistle.

Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati, guilty of several misplaced passes in the first half, was replaced by Evander Sno for the start of the second period.

The Dutchman’s first contribution was to foul Deco after being nutmegged by the Portugal international, his second was to release Scott Brown on the right from which Celtic won their first corner.

However, no threat to Barca keeper Victor Valdes ensued from Shunsuke Nakamura’s cross and in comparison to the whirlwind start to the game, a more subdued encounter followed with Celtic working their way into the game.

In the 55th minute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink headed a McGeady cross past the post under pressure from Puyol before he was replaced by Georgios Samaras.

However, Ronaldinho exploded into action again on the hour mark when he played a one-two with Eto’o before forcing Boruc in to a fine save with his volley from the edge of the box.

Deco was next to test Boruc, the Poland international diving low to his left post to push the ball away for another corner as Celtic endured another spell of pressure.

Eto’o completely missed a cross from crusading right-back Gianluca Zambrotta only 12 yards from goal when he had beaten the Celtic offside trap.

The Barca striker was then denied by a crucial block from Parkhead captain Stephen McManus when he shaped to turn Henry’s cross in from around six yards out.

In the final minute Boruc was again called in to action when he had to beat away a powerful strike from substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen who had replaced Xavi, seconds before Valdes pulled off a great save from Nakamura at the other end.